Little Black Cloud
by Linda J
Summary: Logan's got a little black cloud hanging over his head. You can just guess who put it there. hehe


DISCLAIMER: The X-Men aren't mine. Boo-hoo. I only get to take them out and play with them if I promise I won't break them. I won't be making any money from this either.

RATING: PG (Pretty tame stuff from what I usually do.)

SUMMARY: Wolverine has a little black cloud following him. You can just guess who put it there-- but why? Oh and I ironically my real life husband Parke makes an appearance as well.

UNIVERSE/TIMELINE: both are non-specific

FEEDBACK: Like I said, I won't be making any money from this, so feedback is the only thing I can get out of it.

LITTLE BLACK CLOUD

By Linda J.

Logan ignored the stares and pointing fingers as he rode his Harley through traffic.

Even though he was used to having people give him strange looks because they suspected he was a mutant, he was not used to having people literally pull their cars over and gawk at him with open mouths.

He pulled up to the red light, patiently waiting for it to change, when yet another well-meaning moron rolled her window down.

"Sir…" the lady said only to have the feral completely ignore her. "Sir!" she spoke up.

Logan sighed to himself and turned his head to look across the way.

"Um, did you know you have a black cloud hanging right above your head?"

Logan paused for a moment to pull the sopping wet, dripping hair that normally flared out on the sides of his face out of his eyes, and wiped the droplets of water from his facial hair.

"Thanks for the newsflash, lady. I would have never guessed that on my own."

The woman huffed, offended by Logan's remarks, and rolled up her window as she muttered to herself about never understanding why some people have to be so rude.

When the light changed, Logan went his way and pulled into the gas station while, strangely, the little black cloud actually moved along with him, constantly hovering above the feral's head.

He pulled up to the gas pumps and got off his bike, his wet hair back in his eyes as the little cloud endlessly showered away.

Two young boys in the SUV parked at the island across from Logan stared and pointed at him and his little black cloud.

"Hey Mister…There's a little black cloud hanging over your head," the older of the two kept repeating to Logan from his window.

Only because Logan didn't feel comfortable using the words he was thinking of in front of children their age, he ignored them completely and quietly filled up his tank. He then walked to the door of the store, with his cloud never leaving its post. Logan opened the door and dashed inside, quickly closing the door behind. For a moment the cloud hovered outside as if it was lost and confused. Then suddenly it squeezed its way through the top crack of the door, and like a heat seeking missile, the little black cloud found its target.

The rain poured freely and it seemed to rumble a happy greeting as it made its way back to Logan and resumed its position above his head. Logan sighed, moved over to the candy aisle, and picked up a small box of imported chocolates. He then went to the counter to pay for his gas and candy when he saw a small selection of flower bouquets for sale as well. He picked out a rose, a beautiful white one, and set everything on the counter.

Parke, the store clerk who had waited on the mutant often and was somewhat familiar with Logan, glanced up to not only see his customer, but that his customer had a cloud hanging over his head, and that the cloud was getting water everywhere!

"Ah, Logan…" the clerk used his best professional courtesy. "Normally I don't allow customers to bring weather phenomena into the store."

Logan grumbled and glared but said nothing as he tried to ever so calmly to hand the man the money that was due. "Sorry about the mess Parke; just one of those things."

"Yeah, I've had a few nights like that myself," Parke sympathized with Logan's ordeal as he quickly bagged the bought items and handed them back to Logan.

"But next time you'll have to leave your cloud outside the store," Parke said as he reached over for a handful of napkins and started to wipe up the fresh rain water from his front counter.

"Like I had any damned choice about it this time," Logan growled under his breath as he stepped outside and headed back to his bike. He returned to the X-Mansion with his little black cloud tagging faithfully along.

Logan walked up to the mansion's front door with bag in hand as Rogue opened the door, only to see him standing outside, soaked to the bone as the rain continued to pour down on him.

"You look like a drowned rat!" she half way joked with her favorite feral.

He growled menacingly at her as he walked inside, black cloud and all.

"Here…" He handed the bagged rose and candy to Rogue. "Give this to her."

"She doesn't want your trinkets, Logan. She wants an apology!" Rogue reminded him.

"I ain't making no apologies and that's final." Logan insisted. "Where's Chuck? He can put a stop to this."

"In his study." Rogue shook her head as she answered his question. "Why do you guys find it so hard to apologize?" she wondered.

"'Cause I don't owe her one!" he yelled back at her as he made his way down the hall toward Charles' study, still carrying the bag he brought in with him.

Before he could knock on the door, however, Charles called to him to come inside. Logan opened the door to the study just as the little black cloud seemed to darken and rumble as if it were angry at him.

Charles blinked a few times as if even he was taken by the odd sight of seeing a tiny cloud about twelve inches in diameter hanging ever so casually over Logan's sopping wet head.

"Logan…" For a moment Charles wasn't sure if he could continue his conversation with a straight face. "How long are you going to let this continue?"

"I'm not the one you need to ask!" Logan angrily defended himself.

Charles tried to explain. "I understand it's very difficult for a proud man like you to admit when he's wrong, but sometimes for the sake of keeping peace, not to mention keeping the furniture and carpeting dry, one must swallow his pride and do what he must do."

"Oh, so that's how it is?" Logan protested. "You're taking her side on this; fine," he grumbled and walked away.

"She's upstairs in her room if you're interested," Charles thought to tell him as he left.

"Well I'm not!" Logan insisted as he marched defiantly away and headed for the danger room instead. The little black cloud (of course) went along.

When he arrived, it was apparent that Jean and Scott had just finished their exercise and were ready to leave. The two saw him standing there, trying to act as if there was nothing extraordinary about having a little black cloud raining and thundering above his head.

"It's a good thing you've got that healing factor," Scott teased, "otherwise you'd be asking for one hell of a cold."

Logan merely glared at him while Jean offered her towel to Logan to dry his face and hair. He took her towel and began wiping the water away, for what good it did as the rain continued to pour down on him.

Jean gave him a sympathetic look and shook her head. "Just go upstairs and apologize to her, Logan."

Logan rolled his eyes. "How many damned times do I have to repeat myself? I didn't do anything I need to apologize for!"

"Logan…" Scott offered some advice. "To women, it doesn't matter if you did anything wrong or not. They just like to hear men say they're sorry."

Jean didn't hesitate to give him a nice punch on the arm for that remark.

"Ouch." Scott rubbed where she had hit him. "Sorry Jean."

After a moment went by, Scott added, "See what I mean?"

Jean huffed. "I think I just might see if Storm wouldn't mind putting a cloud over your head, Scott," she said as she walked away.

"See what you started?" Scott chastised Logan.

Logan was speechless as he watched Scott catch up with Jean and try to talk her out of this very bad idea.

"But I DIDN'T start this!" he finally yelled at Scott and Jean just as the two turned the corner at the end of the hall.

Once more he tried again to slam the door on his new wet shadow as he entered the danger room, only to have it squeeze its way through an air vent and make its way back to him; once more Logan tried his best to endure the constant gentle rain that poured down on his head. When he finished, for whatever reason, the workout just didn't perk him up like it normally did; Logan was starting to feel depressed.

About that time, Kurt showed up to do his daily workout routine, as well as get a look at Logan's very own personalized thunderstorm for himself.

"I didn't believe what I was hearing," the German openly admitted. "Surely making one simple apology could not be worse than what you must be going through now, my friend," Kurt gently offered his advice. But Logan wasn't hearing any of it.

"For the last time…" The feral felt his rage coming frightfully out of control. "I'm not going to apologize when I did nothing wrong!" And with that he stormed off with his little black cloud storming as well.

Solemnly Logan opened the door to his bedroom and looked up at the cloud as it softly rumbled to him. "Well c'mon, Dripalong." He finally decided to give it a name as he began to accept the idea that it was going to stay with him for good.

He thought maybe a nice hot shower would help lift his spirits, so he tried to take one only to have the little cloud follow him into the shower stall as well! Even when he sat down on the commode, the black cloud never left its post.

"For crying out loud!" He was even now starting to talk to it. "Can't a guy get some privacy?"

As Logan got himself dressed, the cloud drenched his clothes before he even had them on.

He went to the kitchen to get something to eat, with the cloud faithfully hovering over head. He ate his soggy sandwich alone.

He went to the parlor only to have everyone insist he should leave before his "new buddy" shorted out the TV, and he should apologize to Storm before she started having lightning bolts shoot out from the little black cloud hanging over his head.

"Never!" he declared and went to bed early that night.

The little black cloud rained on over him as he lay in bed, slowly soaking his sheets and mattress, but stubbornly the feral refused to give in to the weather witch's demands for an apology as he tossed and turned throughout the night until finally he could take no more.

With his skin soaked to the bone, Logan stomped his way to Storm's bedroom.

BAM! BAM! BAM! Faces popped out of every room on the second floor as everyone heard him pound on her door.

"Storm!" Logan furiously yelled out her name. "I know you're awake! You can't control weather phenomena when you're sleeping!"

Once again he pounded his angry fist on her door. BAM! BAM! BAM!

Then calmly, coolly, Ororo opened her door with a placid look on her face. She wore her modest white gown made of silk. She offered him no greeting as she stood there waiting for him to say something first.

For a moment he huffed and puffed with his little black cloud still overhead; although to him, it almost felt like the showering had eased up a bit as he stood in her highness' presence.

Finally he spoke up. "Look Storm," Logan made his statement through clenched teeth, . "this afternoon when I said you made the meanest pot of chili I ever ate? It…was…a COMPLIMENT!"

Ororo's expression never changed as she considered what he just told her. Then finally she looked up at the little black cloud and watched it disappear.

"Good night Logan," she calmly said as she closed the door on him and went back to bed.

Logan just stood there for a moment, trying to make sense of what had just happened and of the whole day in general. Finally he turned to leave and went back to his room to change into some dry clothes, and quietly headed downstairs.

'I'm not even married and still a woman managed to kick me out of my bed and onto the couch.' he thought to himself as he curled up and closed his eyes for (at last) a good night's sleep.

-THE END

(edited by "icemanofks"….and yes, I WILL be charging Ororo double next time I see her in the store…)


End file.
